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NEW YORK, 16 October 2012 – Kandeh K. Yumkella, the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), today received the Global Leadership Award.

The prestigious international award was presented to Yumkella in recognition of his work on advancing sustainable energy for all, poverty reduction, the Millennium Development Goals and efforts to reduce the impact of climate change.

The Global Leadership Award, presented annually by the United Nations Foundation (UNF) and the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA), salutes leaders from a variety of sectors for their global leadership and support for the UN. This year’s Global Leadership awardees also include the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Variety, the entertainment industry magazine; and Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur on Syria and a leading UN independent human rights expert.

Past Honorees include, among others, U.S. President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg.

“I am honored to receive this high award and to serve the UN Secretary-General as a leader for his important global effort – Sustainable Energy for All. I am ready to take this path-breaking initiative to the next level,” said Yumkella.

“We will continue to work with all key stakeholders to achieve sustainable energy for all and drive real action on the ground -- action that transforms lives, communities, economies and the environment. The challenge now is to convert commitments to kilowatt hours for people everywhere,” said Yumkella.

He added that he was dedicating the award to UNIDO staff. “This is a true appreciation of the work of UNIDO in general. More than any other multilateral organization, UNIDO has been at the forefront of the industry and environment nexus for many years now. Our assistance to countries in tackling poverty through productive activities, or implementing the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, is clear evidence of that,” said Yumkella.

UN Secretary-General’s Ban Ki-moon’s Sustainable Energy for All Initiative has set three inter-linked and complementary targets to be achieved by 2030: ensuring universal access to modern energy services, doubling the global rate of improvement of energy efficiency, and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Secretary-General Ban recently appointed Yumkella as Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All.